While Laurel Park in Northampton is a secular community, it has “a rich institutional memory,” says Kate Richardson, who lived there for 22 years, before moving out last year. She is president of the Laurel Park Association (LPA).
Sunday services have been held in the Tabernacle every year since the former Methodist camp’s founding in 1872, and now include a wide range of spiritual practices. Laurel Park’s extensive social programming has waned, but an informal group called the Social Union organizes occasional potlucks and an annual dinner to welcome newcomers.
The LPA is the direct descendant of the original camp meeting. Its mission is to provide educational, cultural and spiritual programs at Laurel Park for residents of western Massachusetts.
In 2014, it launched the Laurel Park Arts initiative with the aim of becoming a more active and visible part of Northampton’s performance, music and arts scene.
Three years ago, visual artist Ani Rivera, who has lived in the community for four years, initiated an artist-in-residence program for local artists to engage with Laurel Park through its history, architecture and landscape. This year’s artist is Leverett sculptor Gary Orlinsky.
One of Laurel Park Arts’ primary efforts has been to present an annual festival in the spirit of Chautauqua.
This year’s Chautauqua weekend, July 16-18, will feature a concert by composer and musician Peter Blanchette, an art exhibition, a presentation by Orlinsky, and a history lecture in collaboration with Historic Northampton.
— MICKEY RATHBUN
For information, visit www.laurelparkarts.org.
